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PAUL BUCZKOWSKI
Bio
Setting Goals
Respect
Back to School
Professionalism
Those in the know
Turn It Positive
Finding a Job
Eye Protection
Playing Injured
Gearing Up
WCHL vs. CHL
Europe v. N.A.
Specific Training
Training Camps
Road to Success
Dedication
Life in the WHL
SANDY LAMARRE
Bio
Season to Forget
College vs. Junior
Sportsmanship
Game Prep
Conditioning
FORBES MACPHERSON
Making the Jump
BRIAN PATAFIE
Bio
Stretching
ICE
PATRICK POWERS
Is Hockey Just a Sport?
ANDREW ZOPPO
Be Tenacious
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Setting Goals By Paul Buczkowski The NHL playoffs are in full swing and most of the leagues in Canada and the U.S. are almost finished. The European leagues are also finished and, for all those players that are done, you have to ask yourself two things: Did I improve over the course of the season? And did I accomplish all of my goals? These are two very important questions. Not only for yourself, but also for those people who are watching you. Can you honestly look in the mirror and say to yourself that you gave it 100% every game or did you sometimes just go thru the motions. I indicated above that "people are watching you". I am not just talking about scouts, coaches, and parents. I am talking about other players. I remember when I was little and I was playing with older kids - I would watch their every move, language, body positioning etc. I would take into consideration everything. They, at the time, had no idea of what kind of an impact they would have on a teammate. Every player on your team is watching each other and the less talented ones are definitely watching the skilled players. Every player does something a little better than the others (such as a backhand pass, wrist shot, etc.), and every player should try to learn why these players are so good at it and then try to learn it themselves. This is all one way of "improving over the season". Did we try to get better in our weaknesses, or did we only work on our strengths? Goals should be made over the season, the months, individual games, and perhaps every shift. Lorne Mollekin, former coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, and my Saskatoon Blades coach, made each and every player write down their goals and give him a copy at the beginning of the season. If we started to drift a little in attitude or play, we would be brought into the office and reminded of what we had written. This was also great motivation for each player to get better in every department. I taught a player how to go down to block shots, and in return I learned how to properly defend "one on one" out of the corner. I posted these goals on the wall in my bedroom so before every game I would see what I set for goals that particular game or month. And before each game the coach would go around the room and ask each player what their goal was. It ranged from: number of hits, goals, and blocking shots amongst others. I recommend this for coaches and players alike, as it brought us to the WHL final. If we said "no" to the above questions, we have to go and work harder on every aspect of our game to try to get better. If our goal over the summer is to put on 10 lbs of muscle, we put that as a goal and try to achieve it before camp next year. If our goal is to get quicker feet, we do drills to accomplish that and try to beat previous times that we had achieved. Use the summer to your advantage, and work hard to accomplish your goals. Even if you never make it professionally, goal setting and achievement is very important in life after hockey. Employers will hire you without thought because they know of your past history of achieving those goals you set. Use the summer to test this theory, and be ready to achieve personal and team goals next season. Set attainable goals but not ones where it would not be a challenge to accomplish. Here is my quote for the month: - Robert Louis Stevenson Paul Buczkowski 1 Year CHL 2 Years ECHL 3 Years Europe 6 Years WHL |
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